Carson-Douglas rivalry to benefit Haiti

The Douglas High School Tigers need help in vanquishing their arch rival Carson High.

No matter how hard the school wants to beat Carson tonight in basketball, there's another kind of victory that cannot come from athletic prowess. It must come from the spirit of generosity.

On Thursday, Douglas High School leadership teacher Karen Lamb explained how the rival schools are competing to raise money for the American Red Cross, which is providing relief to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

"It's a good lesson for kids because at the end of the day, it shows them that they can be competitive while still doing good things together," Lamb said. "Of course, we want bragging rights, too. We're asking every class to collect as much as they can."

Community members can also donate to the cause by visiting the front desk of the high school.

"If they want, they can bring a bucket of change by the front office," Lamb said.

She said they'll be collecting donations until half-time of the boys' game tonight at Carson. The winning school will be announced after the game, and pizza donated to the winning student section of the audience.

"We always focus on the rivalry, but we can do things together as well," Lamb said.

Because Carson has the advantage of more students, the winner will be determined by dividing the amount raised by the school's population.

"It will be based on the per-student amount," Lamb said.

Sixteen-year-old leadership student Rose Lombino, who helped spearhead the drive, said she'd been following news coverage of the earthquake.

"It made me think of our own community and how fortunate we are," she said. "Why not give back?"

To help ramp up collections, two DHS teachers, Joe Andrews and Debra Harris, and two students from each grade level volunteered for a competition within a competition. The teacher and student from each grade who collects the most money will dye their hair orange.

"I always thought orange hair would work for me," joked senior Beau Battista, who volunteered for the contest. "In the end, we all win. Haiti wins."

The girls' basketball game starts tonight at 5:15 p.m. in Carson, and the boys' game starts at 7 p.m.

DHS leadership is not the only group helping Haiti. The school's Amnesty International Club has already donated $600 to Doctors Without Borders.

"We've done a lot of fundraising," said senior Gina Sipin. "We sold T-shirts at the beginning of the year, and also raised a lot during the high school Christmas fair."

"All of us saw what was happening in Haiti and had to do something," said senior Jackie Zusi-Russell.

"We're very passionate about helping people in situations around the world who are less fortunate than us," added classmate Gabi Rose.

Club co-president Chauntelle Sloan, 17, said they still need support. She urged those interested in donating to visit www.doctorswithoutborders.org.